UK lawmakers will 'very likely' have to ratify final Brexit deal: government lawyer

An
EU flag is seen through a British Union flag during a pro-EU
referendum event at Parliament Square in
LondonThomson
Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's parliament will "very likely" have
to ratify an eventual agreement between the United Kingdom and
the European Union when the country leaves the bloc, a British
government lawyer said on Tuesday.

James Eadie, who is representing Prime Minister Theresa May's
government in a High Court challenge over who has the right
to trigger divorce talks, said lawmakers would very probably be
allowed a say on the final exit deal.

"The government view at the moment is it is very likely that any
such agreement will be subject to ratification" Eadie said.

But he accepted the EU and Britain could agree that a deal would
come into effect without parliamentary approval.

Sterling, which has fallen by nearly 20 percent against the U.S.
dollar since the June referendum on concerns about the impact of
Brexit on Britain's economy, jumped by more than half a cent on
Eadie's remarks.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Writing by Stephen Addison; Editing
by William Schomberg)

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